Important Notice: Our web hosting provider recently started charging us for additional visits, which was unexpected. In response, we're seeking donations. Depending on the situation, we may explore different monetization options for our Community and Expert Contributors. It's crucial to provide more returns for their expertise and offer more Expert Validated Answers or AI Validated Answers. Learn more about our hosting issue here.

Is subcutaneous local anesthesia in shoulder magnetic resonance arthrography necessary?

April 26, 2017anesthesia arthrography local MAGNETIC necessary Resonance shoulder subcutaneous

0

Posted

Is subcutaneous local anesthesia in shoulder magnetic resonance arthrography necessary?

1 Answer

0

Posted

Background: Magnetic resonance arthrography is a well-established diagnostic method in degenerative and traumatic disorders of the shoulder. Some radiologists prefer to apply a local anesthetic to the skin prior to performing the joint puncture. However, no information regarding the efficacy of local anesthetics exists. Purpose: To assess patient discomfort in arthrography injection. Material and Methods: A patient survey (n = 74) utilizing a visual analog scale (VAS) measured the intensity of pain in arthrography injection by those receiving local anesthetics (n = 36) versus those who did not (n = 38). Results: Mean VAS scores were 20.8 (median 10.5, SD 24.3) for those receiving local anesthetics versus 19.3 (median 13.0, SD 20.7) for those who did not (P = 0.83, Mann-Whitney U test). Conclusion: Routine use of local anesthesia of the skin in arthrography injection is unnecessary.